Luke Appel has joined the pipeline from Kirkwood to South Dakota State.

Appel, a 6-foot-8 forward, plans to continue his basketball career at South Dakota State after averaging 15.9 points and 8.4 rebounds as a sophomore at Kirkwood this year. He was named the co-player of the year in the ICCAC this season.

Appel will be joining former Kirkwood coach Bryan Petersen and former Kirkwood All-American Doug Wilson when he arrives at South Dakota State.

Petersen joined the Jackrabbits as an assistant coach this past season after leading Kirkwood to the NJCAA Division II national title in 2019. Wilson joined the Jackrabbits this season as well after being named the NJCAA Division II Player of the Year in 2019.

Wilson, a 6-foot-7 forward, averaged 18.6 points and 6.4 rebounds at South Dakota State this season as a junior and was named the Summit League Player of the Year. The Jackrabbits finished 22-10 overall and 13-3 in the Summit, tying for the regular-season title.

Appel helped Kirkwood win the 2019 national title as a freshman. He shot 56.2 percent from the field this season and hit 37.9 percent of his 3-pointers.